It's been over a year since Electronic Arts gave us our first look at Bit Reactor's Star Wars Zero Company. The turn-based strategy game was officially revealed at Star Wars Celebration last April, but we haven't seen or heard much about the game in the months since. That changes this week.
We'll be getting our first look at Star Wars Zero Company gameplay on Friday during the Summer Game Fest event. The livestream begins at 2:00 p.m. PT / 5:00 p.m. ET. The live showcase event is expected to run for two hours and feature plenty of announcements, and while we're not sure exactly when Star Wars Zero Company will be shown, you can always check back here for coverage.
For those who don't quite remember last year's reveal, Star Wars Zero Company is a dark and gritty turn-based tactics strategy game set in the twilight of the Clone Wars. It follows an eclectic group of professionals for hire, though players specifically take on the role of Hawks, a former Republic Officer who now in command of "an elite squad of cunning operatives" as they take on "an emerging threat that will consume the galaxy if left unchecked."
“It’s our aim to deliver a game with an original Star Wars story from the Clone Wars era that has meaningful outcomes from player choices, and deep turn-based tactical combat with an approachable and cinematic presentation," said Greg Foertsch, CEO and Creative Director at Bit Reactor, back in April.
Although much of what we've seen of the Clone Wars has focused on large-scale warfare and massive world destruction, Bit Reactor is focusing on "the war beneath the war" -- the battles fought in the shadows, led by strategy, surveillance, ciphers, and sabotage. When you take all of that into account, it's easy to envision what gameplay in Star Wars Zero Company will entail. It's going to involve tactical operations and investigations across the galaxy. In between battles, players will develop their base of operations and gather intelligence through a network of informants.
We also know that a major part of the game will be forming your squad. Based on the information you uncover, you'll meet a cast of "newly authored Star Wars characters" and recruit some of them to help form your squad. These recruited operatives can be personalized, both their appearance and their load-outs and abilities, so you can assemble the perfect team to take on these high-stakes missions.
We'll likely get a better look at all these different gameplay mechanics on Friday. In the meantime, below is the official announcement trailer that was shown last year.
Star Wars Zero Company is slated to launch this year, so it's possible a release date could be announced on Friday as well. The game is due to release on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.